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County highlights FY2026 capital projects: Christina River force main, IT modernization and park work among priorities
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Summary
County leaders told council the recommended FY2026 capital program emphasizes continuation of multiyear sewer projects, IT system replacements, park renovations and a planned southern public‑safety facility; the administration flagged a large multiyear cost for the Christiana River force main rehabilitation.
County general managers summarized the administration’s recommended FY2026 capital program at a budget hearing, highlighting major multiyear sewer projects, an IT modernization push and a slate of park and facilities upgrades.
Cleon Cawley, general manager of Public Works, described the Christina River force main as “the largest, most critical wastewater asset in New Castle County,” saying it serves “nearly 300,000 residents, sending 50,000,000 gallons of wastewater every day to the Wilmington Treatment Plant.” Cawley said the complete redundancy and rehabilitation program for the force main has an estimated program cost in the hundreds of millions (presentation cited roughly $750,000,000 as the total program estimate) and that the county requested approximately $22,000,000 in FY2026 to continue improvements and planning.
IT modernization
An information‑technology presenter (Del Grande, representing IT) outlined three IT capital priorities: replacement of the county’s aging Hansen billing system with a cloud‑based solution to improve disaster recovery and customer payment options; a Human Capital Management (HCM) project to replace a legacy PeopleSoft system and consolidate HR/payroll functions; and an urgent network infrastructure replacement emphasizing micro‑segmentation to strengthen cybersecurity. The IT presenter said the billing system work is high priority because the county processes a large share of annual revenue through Hansen and because the legacy system has limited disaster‑recovery capability.
Public safety projects
Elmer Setting, director for public safety, described requests that included an ongoing 800‑MHz radio replacement program (about $400,000 requested annually), a public‑safety equipment capital line (about $136,000 annually for specialized units such as SWAT and the crisis negotiation team), purchase of ballistic vests (about $302,448 requested for FY2026), and early planning for a new southern public‑safety facility. Setting said the southern facility’s design and construction funding is planned across FY2026–FY2027, with an initial construction cost estimate near $19,000,000 and pre‑design work funded from existing EMS stations capital resources.
Community services and parks
Carrie Casey, general manager of the Department of Community Services, described several projects: ventilation enhancements at the Appoquinimink library maker space (about $200,000), replacement of Carousel Park indoor arena footing with a water‑free, low‑dust footing, and chemical storage and safety improvements at the Surrette pool (about $100,000). Public Works also outlined park projects including the Bechtel Park reconstruction (planned closure and demolition in summer, FY2026 authorization $750,000), Glasgow Regional Park’s High‑5 inclusive playground expansion ($1.5 million requested), a program to replace aging playground equipment across the county (roughly $1,000,000), and phase‑2 work at Southern Regional Park (water, electricity and a half‑mile of multiuse path; $1,000,000 requested).
Why it matters: the capital plan focuses on long‑running projects that require sustained authorization and a bond program that the administration says typically runs on a two‑year cycle; a delay in a bond sale shifts the timing of authorizations and makes the FY2026 authorization total appear larger.
Council questions
Council members asked for timelines and construction windows for parks projects (Bechtel Park closing targeted for June/July) and for clarification on monitoring and police coordination for park cameras. Councilman Kaneko asked about the sewer charge/EDU phase‑in and was told the EDU is a fixed charge that has been phased in over several years with discounts that are gradually reduced.
Next steps
Department general managers said their staff will present more detailed project budgets and schedules in departmental hearings; bond timing and permit needs will affect precise construction dates for several large projects.
